Arrhythmia in patients with cerebral infarction evaluated by Holter ECG

Abstract

In the present study, Holter ECG (24 hours continuous monitoring) was applied for detection of arrhythmia in patients with cerebral infarction to elucidate the relationship between arrhythmias and types of cerebral infarction. The subjects were 111 patients (80 males and 31 females) with cerebral infarction who were admitted to our institution during the acute stage. Their average age was 65.4 years old. They were divided into the following three groups: Group L; patients having a large low density area on CT including the cortex, group S; those having a small low density area in the basal ganglia, and group N; those having no low density area on CT. Holter ECG was taken at least three weeks after onset in all cases. Fourteen of them were also examined in the acute stage, and these findings were compared with those taken in the chronic stage. Three Holter ECGs recorded incidentally before the onset of stroke were used for comparison. Based on the basic rhythms recorded on the Holter ECG, the subjects were divided into sinus rhythm and atrial fibrillation cases. The total number of ventricular premature contractions (VPCs), were determined in each case. There was little difference in the number of total VPCs among the records taken in the pre-onset, acute and chronic stages. There also was no relation between the total number of VPCs and the age, history of hypertension, and the site of infarction on CT. There was no consistent relationship between the total number of VPCs in cases with atrial fibrillation and CT findings.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)